A Familiar Face
by SideraSkotadi
Summary: Tragedy befalls lovers Antonio & Lovino as the two are left dead in each other's embrace. But not if the goddess of rebirth can help it. Reincarnated into a different universe, the men meet once again as they are given a second chance at love. Will they remember the other or will a passing glance be all that's left of their lost past lives? Mostly Spamano with minor couples too
1. Introduction

_**So! I wrote this fic while I was being punished [my sister was having a bad day, I did something clumsy and she banned me from MY laptop for four days. sisters =_=]. The only thing I had to do was stay at home and write, which resulted in the story below. Anyways, it's a tad simple in terms of description compared to my other fics because I wrote it in a notebook and for some strange reason I become a crappy writer if it's not on microsoft word.**_

_**I dunno. Because of that, please excuse my sucky grammar usage and to add to that English isn't my first language, so please be patient with my fail writing skills \^v^/**_

_**Anyways, enjoy the read!**_

* * *

"Let their sinful acts lead to their grueling demise!"

"We shall pray so!" the crowd cheered in unison, their symphony of voices echoing throughout the city of Agedytr. Morning sunlight bathed the surrounding buildings with golden beams, illumination the people below as well.

"Let the law show no mercy to these unworthy beings!" the lone speaker declared, raising his arms in a passionate manner.

"We shall show no mercy!" the bystanders and activists shouted, shooting their fists in the air to demonstrate ambience. With bright eyes and a malicious grin, one of the armored soldiers brought forth three people from the shadows; a man, woman and teenage girl. Their skin was bronzed by the rays of sunshine, yet their faces shone with a dreadful glow.

Countless members of the audience spat vulgar and threatening comments, some even going as far as hurtling objects at the chained dark people. They were led to the podium where the speaker awaited, his eyes in narrow slits from disgust.

Despite being the abused center of attention, the three dark skinned beings held their heads high with determined expressions, only angering the populace more. The ranting man called for the attention of the crowd, and gestured at the imprisoned persons.

"They have all committed crimes that our city does not deem forgivable! This man murdered his masters, this woman seduced a holy man and this child attempted to poison her _own_ family!"  
The city people gasped and muttered with utter distaste, sending frowns on each of their faces.

"How treacherous!" "So ghastly!" "Those monsters!"

The accused, however, seemed to take no notice of the death glares directed towards them; they simply stared into the sunrise with dull looks. A man wearing a fine black robe that reached his ankles appeared on stage, drawing silence from the onlookers. He pulled out a scroll with the government seal and read:

"'On this morning of March twenty two, we—the Elders of the Highest Order—find the three accused immigrants—Jose Hernandez, Catherine McMatthew and Felice Villa—guilty of the lecherous acts stated. They shall be sentenced to execution immediately.'"

Cheers erupted from the people around as an executioner entered the clearing, brandishing an ax with both hands. Behind him were servants carrying several small sacks and thick ropes. With neither care nor gentleness, they placed the bags over the prisoner's heads, securing them with ropes tied tightly around their necks. Then the executioner stepped forward, raising his weapon high above the immigrant man's neck.

"Rid the evil from our city!"

_Chop_! The thud of a head hitting the ground resonated with a disgusting sound of the blood splattering.

"Renew the pride of our people!"

_Chop_! The second head was louder than the first, and the remaining prisoner struggled against the chains that bound her, shrieks of fear escaping the satchel that smothered her face.

"And hope for better days!"

_Chop_! And all that remained of the victims were headless corpses being thrown into the throng of people as they beat the bodies in triumph. Mutilated and beyond recognition, each piece rotted in the rubbish-filled alleyways, their rot producing a deathly scent. After the execution, the people let the area of the main square and lived about daily life once more, never thinking back on the gruesome morning's events.

Life— in those days— was becoming very much like that; trials would be held, people were killed, and yet the population still seemed okay with the situation. Sadly enough, most [if not all] of the executed victims were immigrants, and rarely ANY of them were guilty of the charges being held. Nobles could simply point a finger with accusations and the law would indefinitely go on their side without further questioning, simply because immigrants were considered to be servants and slaves compared to the average working class citizen of Agedytr. However, the city wasn't always like that, with unjust murders of innocents and corruption in classes.

* * *

The kingdom of Angerym had remained peaceful and fair for centuries until the Highest Order [an ancient organization that disbanded after the great wars] was restored, and the Elders declared that all immigrants must work under the nobles. The royal family had objected the law but could do nothing because of their lack of support amongst the people.

Angerymenes seemed to agree with the Highest Order's stance on the social order, and urged the law to abide to the Elder's words. Eventually, immigrants grew used to their placements in the Kingdom and life regained of sense of normalcy for all.

Up until 'crimes' started to spread like wildfire, all relating to the foreign citizens. Soon, people believed that the accused came from evil backgrounds and that they should return to their homelands. But this was only happening in the capitol, Agedytr. Villages located in the countryside and farther treated immigrants as equals, with fair trials for all.

Most foreign people in Angerym either stayed in small towns or left the Kingdom all together; _no_ one wanted to live in the city anymore. Towns and city folk's ideals clashed, causing riots and—occasionally—death. While some wished for equal rights, others longed for more restraint and oppression on the lower classes.

The royalties of the Kingdom had done everything they could to ensure that the immigrants outside of the city were safe, but those within the densely populated areas were not so lucky. Random Angerymenes would torture and kill foreigners out of spite, and it sickened rational people when they had learnt that the law wasn't punishing the true offenders. Revolted by the state of things, surrounding kingdoms and dictatorships distanced themselves from Angerym and advised their people to _never_ enter the land.

With the continuous waves of hangings and butchering, things grew restless in the Grand Castle as the tense atmosphere affected all. The High King and King—Aldrick German and his grandson Gilbert—were still in charge of their country, but the ongoing violence was something that they had failed to halt. Besides the two rulers, there was Prince Ludwig—Gilbert's younger brother—and a young royal from a foreign land. His formal title was Prince and Heir Apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Liatia [quite the mouthful], but to those he was close with, the young man was known as Lovino Italia.

* * *

_**'Kay, so a few explanations are in order...**_

_**Angerym= Germany Agedytr= Tragedy [why I made that Angerym's capitol is a mystery to me]**_

_**Liatia= Italia**_

_**The setting is in... umm... let's say some alternate universe where it's like medieval Europe except the countries have different names. Yup. I apologize if it is confusing, but this isn't even HALF of the main story, more like an introduction of sorts.**_

_**The next chapter is in Lovino's POV~~ By the way I had NO idea that I would ever write this, it just sort of happened.**_


	2. Foreign Prince

**_Lovino's POV for this chapter, people. I must warn all that this is strenuously out of character partially because THIS life's Lovino was raised as a prince, not like an average person. He may or may not come off as snobbish, but I'll make his next life more... Lovino-ish. Promise :)_**

**_I've never done this before, but apparently I'm supposed to put a disclaimer or some shit on here. Okay then... you probably know this, but I DON'T own hetalia. IF I happened to, you can be sure as hell that there would be more featuring of Nordics, the Asians, the South American countries and everything else Hidekaz Himaruya has forgotten or not featured in the manga and/or anime. _**

**_Oh and Spamano. More Romano is DEFINITELY needed in the show._**

* * *

I hated this land very much.

I hated their food, which consisted mainly of meat and potato [revolting indeed].

I hated the rulers [well, not so much hate as strong dislike], with High King Aldrick's silences and King Gilbert's obnoxious attitude; Prince Ludwig was alright since he was only a child.

I hated the weather, which had bitter cold winters and mildly chilling summers [the sun must have hated the kingdom as much as I did].

I hated the clothing, I hated the entertainment, I hated SO many things about Angerym since there was so much _to_ hate. But most of all, I hated the people.

EVERYONE had blond hair and blue eyes, along with pale skin that seemed like it had never experienced sunlight before. EVERYONE was tall, with muscular builds and stern expressions [even the woman and children!]. EVERYONE was well mannered and educated, which I found annoying to no end. And EVERYONE listened to their superiors without question or hesitance, even if the demands were unrealistic and medieval. Such were the laws of the Highest Order, and yet the Angerymenes blindly followed them like the trained dogs they were.

Luckily, the country people weren't foolish enough to act so idiotic, and they lived as they pleased without regarding the outrageous rules in those days. Immigrants were being treated unfairly in such a cruel and twisted way; it made my insides coil at the very thought of the pain and suffering they must have endured.

I, however, did not fall under the classification of a foreign citizen; I was a prince, after all. Merely a guest in an unknown land to me.

My kingdom, Liatia, was soaked in bloodshed and ravaged by war. Grandfather—King Rome Italia—only helped produce one child during his youthful years; a beautiful girl named Romana. My mother. She was a fierce, free-spirited and independent young woman with courage that could rival an army's, though my grandfather added that her sharp tongue made her somewhat un-attractive in certain ways. But he loved her nonetheless, and when she fell in love with a young Liatian painter twice her age—my father, Feliciano Veneziano— he accepted their relationship with boundless energy. The couple was very happy and married in secret almost immediately after receiving my grandfather's approval, but their joy was short lived.

The people were outraged and rebelled against my grandfather; they _truly_ believed that he was going to put my mother into power! That was the ignorance my people possessed at that time, I suppose. A few months after my mother was impregnated with me, they broke into the nursery of our palace and attempted to kill her, taking my father's life instead. Mother grieved relentlessly and her health grew severe with each passing week, worrying my grandfather to no ends. Right after I was born, she passed away, leaving a parentless prince and a depressed king.

Since grandfather was still 'young' he continued to rule Liatia, unaware of the underground forces ready to overthrow him. Instead of being grateful that there was a male to be their ruler, they were angered that a 'spoilt brat' like me was to be given the throne [Spoilt brat? I grew up without a loving mother and father and the closest thing I had to a parental figure was a grandfather who was rarely home! I was far from spoilt!]. Several attempted assassinations were conducted by the time I reached eleven years of age, including food poisoning, long range arrows and stoning [it was quite a scarring and traumatic experience, but my character had become strongly built by then]. My grandfather didn't like it one bit. He called for a kingdom wide meeting at the royal theatre and announced to his subjects that I was the rightful and destined heir. Some were happy, some were not, though I doubt he cared.

But my life was constantly threatened and grandfather couldn't repair our broken kingdom while protecting me, so I was sent to live with his childhood friend, High King Aldrick German of Angerym. My education still continued in the form of tutors and library sessions, but other than that, I was strictly confined within the Grand Castle. They should've considered themselves lucky that I didn't complain; after all, I liked keeping to myself.

Sometimes I visited the nursery to take care of Ludwig, who was around six years old, with his innocence still intact. I prayed that he didn't end up brainwashed with the immigrant nonsense people in the capitol believed. Ludwig was one of my few friends, and we often sat near the fireplace during cold winters [what seasons weren't always cold in that damned Angerym though?], bundled up together under a soft quilt.

The prince's elder brother, King Gilbert, was always absent, desperately trying to spread peace and hope for the people that lived outside the capitol. Even with his loud and self-glorifying character, Gilbert was just as kind as High King Aldrick, though I regretfully admitted this. His and Ludwig's mother—Aldrick's daughter Maria—died protecting them during a raid of the grand castle.

I had heard a bit about the woman, and from what was described to me, she seemed strong, hard-headed and caring, despite her proclaimed 'awesomeness'. Strangely enough, Gilbert somehow managed to inherit her albino genes, and though it was too early to tell for Ludwig, he had a striking resemblance to his grandfather. Their father was never mentioned, so I assumed that he was a sort of taboo in the Grand Castle, but once I overhead the servants whispering about the mysterious man.

Apparently, he was the ruler of a kingdom I had never heard of, and during the time when Maria was around fifteen years of age, he disguised himself as a knight and infiltrated the Angerymene army. However, the young girl managed to look past his guise but chose to observe him closely, finding his battle strategy and cunning amusing. After awhile, Fritz [his nickname, though his true title was Frederick] took notice of her spying and challenged the teenager to a sword match, thinking that she was a man since she wore a suit of armor like all the other knights. The daring princess accepted, and when the match ended in a draw she revealed to the shocked man that she was a female. Feeling shamed, Frederick agreed to leave the army and head back to his throne [for he left saying that he'd be on temporary leave], only to find that the girl wouldn't let him leave.

So after a lot of boring nonsense that tempted me to end my eavesdropping, the maids finally spoke of how the two fell in love and had a child in secret; Gilbert. Then the monarch had to return to his throne, and so he said his goodbyes and left. True, High King Aldrick was displeased when his daughter came home with a silver haired baby, but nonetheless he welcomed them with as open arms as he could manage. After a long span of eighteen years of separation, Fritz returned to his cheerful lover and energetic son, happy as he ever was. Soon another child was born, of which the two had named Ludwig while he was still in the womb, but Frederick was murdered by a close colleague of his long before the second child was born. Soon after his death, the land he had once ruled slipped into chaos and the people fled to other countries, erasing the existence of the kingdom forever.

Princess Maria was distraught yet she never failed to continue smiling for her children, even during her last moments of life. I couldn't help but to admire her selflessness and just, and wondered if my mother was anything like that. I heard she was hot-tempered and also quite young when she met my father, but grandfather often said that she had a soft spot for the ones she loved. He also added that my father was the complete opposite of my mother; creative, cheerful, talkative and openly affectionate [not to mention a bit of a flirt, but the man was Liatian so that's expected]. It's surprising how loves works, I often told myself, especially for those two.

But enough of the depressing drabbles and such; I sound like a whining bitch. Or something.

It had been two years since I first started living in the Grand castle, and on that second year I met the most important person in my entire life.

The person that would fulfill my entire existence.

The person that would make my world spin round.

_My_ special person.

All I did was wander deep into the gardens on a cold new moth's day, but what I found changed my life from then on.

* * *

_**Lovino likes Ludwig? He admits to not FULLY hating Gilbert and Aldrick? **__**What kind of sorcery is this? **__**Lol OOCness is a funny thing...**_

_**YEah, okay that kind of weirded me out too, but I can't have him hate the Germans in THIS life. Probably the next one though. And High King Aldrick is Germania, while Lovino's mother Romana is Fem!Romano. And Maria is Fem!Prussia. That's not too strange, is it? [and Gilbert & Ludwig's father is Frederick the Great, for those that noticed]**_

_**What's even weirder is that I made Lovino's father Feliciano... although he and Romana aren't related, so that's fine. But if you think about it, in the next life Feliciano and Lovino will most likely be brothers, which means that they are reincarnated from a time when Feliciano was Lovino's father... okay it is a little mixed up. But oh well.**_

_**I apologize for the long back stories of the deceased parents everyone seems have in this fic, it's just that Lovino had nothing else to narrate about. Antonio, on the other hand, will be talking lots. Because, you know, that's just his personality type. Which is adorable xD**_


	3. First Snow

_**Antonio's POV! YAAAYY~!**_

_**I love writing from his point of view because... I dunno. Anyways, Speana= Espana without the accented 'n' thing. Farcian= Francia [why did I use the Spanish/Italian word for 'France'? No clue] Yup.**_

* * *

I never wanted to live in Angerym. Why would I?

The sun barely shone, the air was crisp with the cold, the winters were harsh, the food was mundane and the people were mean. Really mean. They executed innocent immigrants—like me—for crimes I'm pretty sure they never committed, and didn't even try to search for the real criminals just because of the low class foreigners have! It was really unfair!

My homeland, Speana, was always bathed in sunlight and smiles. Neighbour knew neighbour, everyone was friendly and hardly any conflict occurred. Until the royals decided to declare war on a kingdom that shared a border with ours. The land became devastated, famines were commonplace and the people sought after new beginnings. Many left in search of work and security, including me, whom was seventeen at the time.

My parents—who were farmers—died during a skirmish with the soldiers, leaving me alone. But that was fine because I was used to fending for myself; that was the way my father taught me to live. So I packed my bags and searched for opportunity, ending up as a gardener for the Grand Castle in Angerym.

Housing and food was provided, so I became quite comfortable with my life. The Belschmidt family was also kind, unlike the royalties of my land, and I became well acquainted with the kings and prince. A few years after I started working as their gardener—I was twenty two by then—King Gilbert told me that a new guest would be staying in their home for awhile.

He was a prince from Liatia, and was to be housed by the royals of Angerym to ensure his safety from assassins and similar dangers. The king also added that the prince was extremely fond of tomatoes, and that High King Aldrick wished for me to grow a new tomato garden.

Luckily for them, growing the fruit happened to be a specialty of mine, and I LOVED tomatoes as well. So after days [which turned to weeks] of tending to the tomato stalks, fresh orbs finally appeared and were ready to harvest. That night, the prince was served tomato entrees with spaghetti and fine wine.

I asked Gilbert if he liked the food, in which the king replied with a snort, "It's hard to tell whether he's lying or not, but from the look on the kid's face, I'd say that he liked it _very_ much. Hell, maybe he LOVED it!" I was overjoyed to hear this, and from then on, I took great care when it came to the tomato garden. After all, I was serving a fellow tomato lover, so I felt privileged and wished to make the prince happy.

A year went by without incident in the Grand Castle, but I had yet to meet the prince, who was a foreigner like me. On the first month of the New Year, it was particularly chilly one day and I sought for shelter in an abandoned greenhouse. A few of the glass panels were cracked, but the living greenery immediately warmed the inside of the small building. I inspected different species of flowers and shrubs, swiping a few seeds while I was at it, when suddenly I heard a stifled sneeze. My eyes wandered aimlessly around the enclosure until I spotted a small figure, hunched in the farthest corner of the greenhouse. While walking towards the person, I noticed that it was a boy with auburn hair and an elegant white animal skin cloak. I knelt down and gently tapped his shoulders to meet wide hazel green eyes staring into my bright green ones.

His olive skin, long lashes and handsome features were so close to my face; I felt a blush coming on. Then he made an expression that broke my heart, for it was so deflated, vulnerable and lost. I saw him shiver and quickly removed my scarf, wrapping it securely around his neck. The beautiful boy still said nothing, watching me with a weary gaze as I sat next to him and snuggled closer, wrapping our bodies with warmth. I gave him a bright smile, trying to add cheer to the mood.

"Hello! I apologize for invading your personal space, it's just that you seem cold, and so am I!" I said, aiming to preserve my voice, mainly because our noses were almost touching due to the close range. Despite the freezing air around us, the boy's cheeks had a tint of red that made him appear adorable! He quickly looked away, and it took me awhile to figure out that he was blushing. Seeing that made my heart skip a few beats.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir," he muttered, meeting my eyes once more. I loved his voice and the light accent that affected each word.

"No worries, friend. My name is Antonio, by the way. Antonio Inaps. How did you get here?"

"Well, I discovered the tomato garden and walked further into the vegetative habitat. You see, I love tomatoes very much, and curiosity eventually got the better of me; this cloak is simply not enough to keep me warm. After fighting back the gusts and winds that seemed to be so insistent on let me die in the damned garden, I finally ended up here."

He finished, crimson adorning the boy's lovely face as he shifted closer to me, supposedly because it was snowing outside and the room became icy cold. I gladly pulled my arm around him, pressing our bodies together firmly.

"I'm Lovino, by the way," he stated shyly, which plucked at my heartstrings from sheer delight. What a wondrous sound his name had to it! It was fit for a darling human like him.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lovino. You know, I adore tomatoes as well, and I'm the main gardener in charge of the tomato farming area~!" I exclaimed, pleased to see his shocked expression. Then again, any facet his face held would fit the boy, for he was such an amazing sight to behold.

"Really? The tomatoes are delicious, and I give you my thanks," Lovino complimented. A few seconds past before I had registered all of what he was saying, and then I examined him more closely. He was foreign, yet he wore fine clothes and his hands looked small and frail; there was no possibility that the boy was a servant. Which only let one other possible explanation.

"Are you the prince from Liatia?" I asked. He seemed shamefaced [though I couldn't imagine why] but nodded in a reluctant matter. I, however, gave him a tight squeeze on the shoulder.

"Finally! After so long, I get to meet you! There aren't many people who love tomatoes as much as I do, and I'm delighted that I'm able to grow them again; it's thanks to _you_, Lovino!" My grin grew wider when the surprise on his face was evident, but a sudden gust interrupted the moment. Cold air filled the greenhouse, and I heard the prince sneeze next to me, so I removed my coat and placed it on his shoulder. The monarch gave me a disapproving look, raised the covering and instead wrapped it around the two of us, scooting closer so that he was almost on my lap. I felt my heart leap frantically and prayed that he couldn't hear it.

"I don't mind sharing, and you're quite warm, sooo..," he began awkwardly, and I chuckled in return; he was so cute and sweet!

"Neither do I! So, Lovino, how old are you?"

"Nineteen. I'll be twenty in the third month on the seventeenth day," he answered.

"I'm twenty three, and I'll be twenty four in the second month on the twelfth day."

Afterwards, we just mindlessly started chatting. At times, he would blush madly when I asked him an 'embarrassing' question, which made me extremely content. Somehow we were pouring our deepest secrets and thoughts into the conversation, as if the comfort of each other was enough. Or at least, I _think_ he felt that way as well. The beautiful, unique and interesting prince next to me infatuated my senses, keeping that racing heart of mine forever in transfixion. I wanted to embrace him, shower him with kisses and keep Lovino all to myself. Maybe for all eternity… or something slightly less predatory.

But alas, the afternoon sun shone through the clouds, and sunlight warmed the land once more. We stepped out of the greenhouse and stood near each other awkwardly, not sure of what to do.

"You know, Lovino, that was the first snow of the New Year," I blurted out. He stared at me for awhile, then let out a small laugh and blessed my sight with his beaming smile. It was so enchanting, the way the sun illuminated that olive skin and those hazel green eyes. Time seemed to have stopped.

"Yes, that it was," he simply whispered, never looking away. Before I knew it, the two of us were leaning closer to each other until our faces were only an inch apart. Oh, Lovino. Lovely, precious Lovino. I loved him, even if we had only spoken for a mere hour or so, and I wanted the mystical prince as my own. With all my courage, I moved closer until our lips were pressed against one another.

My eyes were closed shut so I had no idea what he looked like, but judging from the hesitant hands that squeezed mine, the Liatian like it. So I decided to be daring and slowly wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling the young prince closer. He slightly parted his lips, granting my tongue access as I explored the moist cavern. He started kissing me back, and we fought for dominance until I won [of course, I would never back down when it came to Lovino].

What started out so innocent became passionate and frenzied as our lip contact heated up, until we were out of breath. I grabbed the sides of his face and gently made our foreheads touch each other, staring down at his half-lidded, lust glazed eyes. Indeed, that was a good look for him.

"You attract me, Lovino, my sweet. Even though we haven't known each other for long, it feels like I have known _you_ for a lifetime," I confessed, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment; I sounded so lame and uncool! But Lovino followed suit, and the prince started to resemble the tomatoes that we share a love for.

"I-I'm rather f-fond of you as well, Antonio, despite the shortness of our acquaintanceship," the Liatian mumbled, continuing to stare at the ground.

"Lovino, please look at me," I requested, and tilted his face by the chin with my index finger. The minute our eyes reunited, the both of us immediately went in for another kiss. I didn't care that he was a prince and that I was a commoner; none of those things mattered in the least. Only his heat, his soul and the emotions poured into our touches were on my mind. It was so _right_—if not perfect—and unreal that he felt the same way I did. Lovino was mine then, and he wouldn't get away. I pinned him against the wood of a tree as we continued our loving clash of tongues, then I moved away and leaned over to nip the shell of his ear. The prince let out a surprised, if not somewhat pleased, squeal, which encouraged me to go further with my bold actions.

I began to trail kisses and bites down his neck, earning moans and shivers that fed the growing lust inside me. Of course, this world of lovemaking and dizzy spells was new to my comprehension, but every desire I acted upon felt natural and instinctive. Then I spotted a flyaway curl sticking out of his hair and yanked it with my mouth. Suddenly, Lovino made a nervous groan and wrapped his arms around my torso, smothering our bodies together. I realized that the mysterious hair had a bewildering effect on the boy's body, and yanked at it again, harder than the first.

"Ahhh~!" Lovino cried as he dug his nails into my neck. I smirked at my new discovery until I realized that he was _grinding_ against me. More aroused than ever before, I licked the curl and rubbed against him, clicking my tongue in frustration as I tried to control myself… and the growing bulge in my pants. Even worse, my physical form and mind wanted nothing more than to deflower Lovino of his purity. However, I somehow managed to minimize the intimacy to kisses, groping and bites, and in a matter of minutes we were reaching our climaxes, silently screaming each other's names. Even though my pants felt damp and uncomfortable, I was fairly happy. By then we had rid ourselves of the coats and scarves that kept us warm [not that we needed that warmth when we had each other], and only had our button up shirts and pants remaining.

Resting on top of the snow against a tree, the two of us were panting and sweating in the cold air. I pulled him closer and kissed the top of his head, watching the prince as a lazy smile reached his lips. Earlier when we had our conversation, I had learnt that Lovino was shy and found it hard to express his feelings because of his lack of human contact. He often lied about how he felt out of nervousness, not having anything to do with being wicked, which was what he stated most people thought was the case. So to see the Liatian smile and be so open with affection was a gift to me.

"Lovino, I think… I _know_ I love you. Is that okay?" I mumbled next to his ear, fearing what he would say. As much as I had wanted to know, I was also scared of rejection and—ultimately—hatred. But if he wanted me to leave him, I would obey dutifully, for his happiness was my top priority. Lovino gave me an incredulous look, and I half expected him to shout in protest. Instead, he turned crimson and tugged at the sleeve of my shirt, eyes cast downwards.

"You don't need to ask for permission or anything of the sort, idiot. Your feelings are _yours_ alone, and no one should deny you that right. Besides," the prince added, staring deeply into my green orbs, "I-I-I… I may feel… like… Iloveyoutoo!"

It took quite a bit of time until I understood what the boy was saying, but when I did, I formed the largest grin in my entire life. He had loved me back! Oh, the joy that reached a soaring height of euphoria was unexplainable! It was love! LOVE! And it felt like the colours of the world appeared more vibrant, and everyone was smiling, and what was left in my arms was my love. I, a poor gardener that escaped my own ruined homeland, had been gifted with the love a handsome prince from a plentiful [if not somewhat dangerous] kingdom.

* * *

I had lived a fairytale with my fair prince Lovino, and our affections blossomed within a span of another year. During that time, we consummated our love in a villa near his favourite beach, and drew closer to one another as lovers. Ludwig would be brought to the garden by Lovino, and all three of us would play in the beautiful green enclosure, our laughter echoing through the surrounding forests. Sometimes I wondered whether or not anyone noticed us, and on several occasions I thought that Gilbert and Lovino's cousin—King Francis—knew.

But no one ever made an effort to separate or scold us [partly because we were very secretive about the matter], so my love and I were quite content with our lives. That is, until the Elders of the Highest Order issued a new law: that they would create an army of soldier/officials that were to keep the immigrants under observation. Most people were fine with this, saying that it was the Highest Order's way of ensuring that there would be a decrease in crime. The royals of the Belschmidt family, however, were not pleased, arguing that average people should be screened as well; not _just_ the immigrants.

Sides were chosen, arguments were made and soon, rebel forces were established against the royalties. The commoners of Angerym knew their place and wouldn't _dare_ to defy the Belschmidts, so the fingers were pointed at the Highest Order. Outraged by the accusations, every corrupted ancient fled and went in hiding, never to be heard from again. After their departure, High King Aldrick stated that ALL crimes committed would be given further investigation from then on, and created teams dedicated to his cause for fairness and equality. Executions were still ongoing, but less and less immigrants were targets.

People began to understand what the royals were trying to teach them, but some refused to give in to the new and improved ways of thinking. There were several attempted assassinations on High King Aldrick's life, although all of them failed because of the diligence that the Grand Castle guards possessed. Worried for his grandfather, Gilbert returned from the foreign affairs work that he was tending to outside of his land with King Francis in tow.

The ruler of Farcian was a friendly guy with a strange sense of humor, but he and I got along well. Lovino told me to stay away from him, saying that his cousin was a pervert, and I found that really funny for awhile. Until one day, when I caught the king trying to undress my beloved. Let's just say that he can no longer do so without meeting head on with my gardening tools, which made Gilbert laugh hysterically. All Lovino muttered was something about how much I was able to get away with in the Grand Castle despite being a gardener.

Life was wonderful then, with the simple pleasures of each other's company being all that I needed to remain at peace. I think that for Lovino it was the same.

* * *

_**Their romance may have seemed a bit rushed and unrealistically instant, but would it be suuper cheesy if I said "They were just meant to be!" ? ... Yes, it would. Anyways, too bad; they were just meant to be! :D**_

_**Somehow I feel like somebody has already done a story where there is a tragedy and the the characters are reborn and shit, but umm... I swear this is original. And stuff. So I apologize to anyone that has already done this. Geez, I feel like I apologize every damn author's note. =_='''**_


	4. Forever and Always A Promise

**_Still Antonio's POV~! This chapter was hard to write, as far as I remember, because the events unfolded much to quickly for my liking. But I gave it my best shot, so oh well~!_**

* * *

A few months after Gilbert's arrival, High King Aldrick grew ill and had to be put on bed rest. The entire kingdom worried for the ruler, whom was one of the oldest kings on the continent [next to Lovino's grandfather], and gifts were sent to the Grand Castle on a daily basis. Then the day came when the High King passed away, and the land grew solemn. I was afraid that Lovino would have to leave because Aldrick was the person that accepted him, but Gilbert assured me that he would gladly allow the prince to stay. And so he became the new king to Angerym, with Ludwig as the next to the throne if something were to happen to him.

I had noticed that Gilbert assigned himself a personal bodyguard from a faraway country, and believe me when I say that the man was _not_ noticeable in the least, so that was quite the discovery. His name was Matthew Cadana [or something, I forget] and Francis told me that Gilbert was very fond of him. I was happy that my good friend had found someone to spend time with during his busy life, yet still… I sort of regret walking in on something I shouldn't have. There, on the library sofa was the Angerymene king and his bodyguard, sharing a passionate kiss. I smiled secretively and trotted away, feeling even happier for Gilbert; he had a secret lover too!

I asked Francis if he had someone he was in love with, in which he replied, "I love everyone!" That answer pleased me [and weirded me out a bit], so I left it at that. Every day the Grand Castle grew more and more interesting as friends of Gilbert's from faraway lands would visit. One was an empress named Elizaveta, who was very strong and independent, but had her frightening moments. Then there was Gilbert's cousin, King Roderick. He was uptight and—as the Angerymene king described him to be—'too much of an aristocratic ass'. I think the most controversial visitors were Prince Vash and Princess Lily Swiss of Peaceland. Everyone could tell that the prince was _very_ over protective when it came to his sister, but pleasant for most of the time when things didn't involve her. The king of Thernelands—Lars Dutch—showed interest in the young royal, but was threatened by her elder brother with an arrow shot near his head.

Day by day, more funny and unique monarchs from _everywhere_ came and passed, until the time came when Lovino locked himself in his room. I supposed that he couldn't handle all the human contact and had a nervous breakdown, so I visited him every chance I had. Lovino seemed grateful and cuddled next to me near the fireplace during cold nights. Eventually, Gilbert had to leave the kingdom to handle conferences and such outside of the country once more, so it was a shock to all when he announced that he would leave Lovino in charge while he was gone.

The public was shocked, but why wouldn't they be? Their ruler was leaving the kingdom in the hands of a foreign prince, and one that had been sheltered nearly his entire life, at that. All Angerymenes disapproved of his choice, but said nothing and accepted Lovino. I, however, was worried. What if people tried to harm my love? So while ignoring his protests, I took it upon myself to sleep in his bedroom. For… security reasons. Yes, let's go along with that one.

Days went by, and then the day came when Gilbert returned. But what surprised me was the news he had to share; apparently, his soldiers arrested twenty seven people for plotting against the royals. It made me wonder about the issue of how many rebels that were still underground, waiting to strike.

One warm summer night I was strolling through the gardens out of enjoyment, when I spotted an orange glow from behind the trees. Rushing to the scene, I watched as horses raced out of the burning barn. I quickly called several servants but it took an hour before we could fully extinguish the flames, for they had begun to spread to the surrounding plants. After the incident, I reported everything to Gilbert, whom was obviously angered.

"The rebels! This is all their doing, I tell you! And they had the nerve to attack the outskirts of the Grand Castle! Who knows what could have happened if you didn't stop it, Antonio! They're coming after everyone now, with me as their main target. What if they try to hurt Ludwig?" He began to frantically pace and rant, not acting like his usual flamboyant self. I walked over to the panicking monarch and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down Gilbert, they won't get that far. Your brother is safe so long as you keep a cool head; relax. Now what would you like me to do?" He seemed to have simmered down and sunk onto the throne, not caring about appearances.

"Tell the guards, please. Make them patrol ALL areas, and _especially_ the nursery," he ordered, then added with a smug grin, "And tell Lovino about what happened too." I happily complied, wanting nothing more than to see my lover as soon as possible.

When I reached his room, I could hear the sound of his singing. I loved when my prince sang; it was full of emotion and depth. So I quietly opened the door and entered the room, gently closing it behind me. He jolted at the sound, turned around, and then relaxed again. Lovino was on the balcony with his arms resting on the railing. I knew he loved to look at the stars, and tonight was especially clear, so I grabbed a quilt and wrapped it around the two of us. It was so warm and cozy; I could have died happily in that position!

"What is it?" he inquired, though the Liatian's voice was barely a whisper. I buried my face into his hair, relishing his scent, and rested my head on his.

"Aww, I'd love to tell you but it would be such a mood breaker, Lovi." I knew he was scowling at the sound of my endearing nickname for him, but I ALSO knew that he secretly loved it; no one else but ME could call him that. Lovino grunted in response, and then guided me to his bed, where the two of us rested next to each other.

"Now tell me," my love ordered. I caressed his olive toned cheek and obeyed.

"There was a fire in the barn; a purposeful one, at that. It was about to spread, but I came just in time and stopped it. Gilbert suspects the rebels were the cause." Lovino's eyes widened in shock and I instantly regretted informing him. Days earlier Gilbert had told him that the rebels planned to assassinate Lovino because he was a foreign prince, which had put the Liatian royal on edge. Knowing that the people who were after him had been near scared Lovino, even if he didn't admit that out loud. I reached out and embraced the prince, rubbing smooth circles on his back.

"There there, my love. The king has all the guards patrolling, so they shouldn't come near the Grand Castle again. There's no need to worry, alright?" I tried my best to be comforting and lightly kissed the tip of his nose. Then I felt him hug me closer, until a sudden wetness soaked through my shirt and onto my skin. Lovino was silently sobbing in the comfort of my clothes, and it hurt my heart to watch.

"I left my kingdom so that I could escape those after me, and for this to happen again, it's like… like _something_ is out to get me. What if the rebels hurt Ludwig? Or… Or Gilbert?" Then he faced me with a sorrowful expression. "What if they hurt _you_?" Oh no, I had thought. Lovino began to cry harder, but muffled the sound with my chest. My poor, poor prince.

"That won't happen, love. _I promise_, it won't. You trust me, don't you?"I asked. His head shook up and down a bit, indicating that he was nodding. I stroked his hair with care and brought my love's face up so our eyes could meet. Lovino's hazel green orbs softened and the prince moved upwards, pecking my lips lightly.

"I love you," he said as the tears slowly stopped flowing. I smiled and kissed him back with more passion and emotion. Then I held his gaze and lovingly pet his lovely face.

"I love you too. Forever and always. That's a promise." He laughed softly and closed his eyes from the exhaustion I suppose he was experiencing.

"I believe you."

* * *

Screams and cries of agony echoed throughout Agedytr, influencing goose bumps to crawl on my flesh. A great flame had engulfed the capitol, its orange glow lighting the pitch black sky. The Grand Castle was located on a mountain overlooking the city, so it was safe from the flames for a short while. I saw Gilbert, Matthew and Ludwig preparing to ride on bare horseback with their belongings in a wagon.

"What's going on?" I screamed, confused beyond belief. I had been in the forest earlier, so the event taking place then had caught me by surprise.

"Antonio! The rebels have set the city on fire, as you can clearly see, and I'm going to call for backup on the forces taking the flames out. But you need to look for Lovino; we couldn't find him anywhere!" he shouted as the king helped his younger brother onto a horse with Matthew as the main rider.

"What?" I asked, not fully recovering from shock.

"Hurry and go! Matthew is going to take Ludwig to Francis' home for protection, and I must leave to find help!" Gilbert yelled.

"Okay then, be safe everyone!" I was about to run off to find my love until the king grabbed my shoulders.

"You too, Antonio. I know how much you love him, that grumpy Liatian prince," he stated calmly, and I felt as if that moment would be the last we'd see each other. I smiled sadly.

"He's not grumpy, just shy. Oh, and good luck with Matthew." I winked and raced in the direction of the Grand Castle, praying that Lovino had stayed away from the dangerous areas.

"Lovino!" I called, running through the halls and checking every room I passed. Then I heard a scream and my heart sank low.

_Oh, please let that not be him._

Following the cry, I was greeted by the sight of a hooded figure pulling a pale Lovino by the hair and cackling loudly. Anger, violence and outrage clouded my thoughts as I shook uncontrollably. That _bastard_ had harmed MY love and joy! He was a dead man.

"We finally got you, foreign prince! How much pain are you in, hmm?"

That did the trick. I hurled myself at the man and knocked him into the wall, hearing the loud [and satisfying] crack of his bones. Then I hurried to Lovino's side, my eyes widening when I spotted the arrow that had deeply pierced right through his shoulder. The wound was bleeding heavily, and it took awhile for my love to open his eyes, but he did.

"A-Antonio?" he croaked, the weakness in his voice shattering my heart into millions of shards.

"I'm here, Lovino. Oh, Lovi. Oh, my love, my sweet, why wasn't I with you?" Tears were streaming from both of our eyes, but he managed to make a small smile and patted my cheek affectionately.

"Now don't go blaming yourself foolish man; you did nothing wrong." I took his hand in mine and kissed it lightly, hating the icy temperature that contradicted my warm skin. He was so cool, so lifeless and so broken yet I couldn't do a thing to change that. I was useless.

"I… I broke my promise. I'm sorry. So, so, so very sorry, Lovi." The room became increasingly hot, and I knew that the fire was near from the sound of the loud crackling of the burning Grand Castle. Despite that, I heard him chuckle.

"Silly man, this wasn't your fault. And you promised to love me, which you do, of course." His voice began to falter a bit, and my grip on him tightened.

"I do love you. I love you so much, and it hurts me to see you like… like _this_. Suffering. But I won't ever leave you, my Lovi. I won't."

"I know," Lovino gave me a sad smile, "and I love you too. At times, not even words can describe how much I love you." He patted my hair and played with its brown curls. "Please smile," my love requested, and even though it hurt me to do so, I obeyed his last wished and felt the corners of my mouth inch towards a grin slightly. But the tears were bubbling out quickly, and if I didn't control myself for Lovino, I would have been sobbing by then.

"This is what I want; to die in your arms, seeing your smile as the last thing. You make me so happy, my love, and so very complete. If we were to be reborn again, I..," Lovino closed his eyes and the hand that had been calmly rubbing my cheeks slowly dropped. My breathing stopped completely. Everything stopped because it was the love of my life's last moments, and I could sense that.

"Lovi!" I yelped, fear overtaking my voice. _This can't be the end! It just CAN'T!_

"I will love you, forever and… forever and always. That's a promise," he whispered. Shaking, I leaned down and pecked his lips with the greatest of care.

"I believe you, and I love you too, my Lovi." He smiled and said his last words:

"My 'Tonio."

And then the world grew cold, and the fire meant nothing, and the people meant nothing. Only the motionless prince in my arms—with a smile resting on his peaceful face—could make me see clearly. The person that had become my only reason to live was gone. There was no point in continuing my existence without Lovino because there wasn't a day I wouldn't think about the Liatian.

"! DON'T GO LOVI! I NEED YOU!" I screamed in misery and held his limp body to mine, never noticing that the man I had attacked earlier had reached for his crossbow.

"You filth are all the same; disgusting and foreign! I may be paralyzed—and I'm sure that the fire will consume me—but at least I will have left this world having accomplished something."

What did I regret? Not saving Lovi.

What did I wish for? Only to be with him once again, and to be given another chance.

Then I heard a quick snap, and before I knew it, everything immediately turned black.

* * *

**_I DIDN'T WANT TO KILL THEM! HONEST! :( lol okay it kind of needed to happen in order to make the story work, but that's cool because they are given a second chance at life. Just because the power of Spamano love is that strong! :D_**

**_When I was starting the story, I thought about making the enemy another country, but then decided against it because I don't want to make any other characters bad guys. I mean seriously, Russia gets too much bashing just because he may or may not be psychotic! He just needs love! And Turkey too!_**

**_lol that was a random outburst. Anyways, next chapter is narrated by the awesomest character in the story! GILBERT!  
_**


	5. What's left of Them

_**Gilbert's POV [ya know, since Lovino and Antonio are kinda... dead and all]**_

_**I don't think I'm awesome enough when it comes to writing his narrative, so it probably isssn't prussia-level awesomeness :(**_

_**Sorry Gilly**_

* * *

After reaching the Grand Castle the fire had calmed down and died out in a matter of hours. It was quite mysterious. When I was finished issuing orders and making sure that the well being of my people was in good hands, I raced as fast as I could to my former home [former because it was totally destroyed as far as I could tell]. The walls were charred and burnt, despite being made of stone, and the place was hardly recognizable. I scanned my surroundings until the area where the entrance to the garden would have been caught my attention.

There, two bodies could be made out under all the rubbish. I dug vigorously 'till the sight of Antonio and Lovino's corpses greeted me. Though they were a bit dirty, the flesh, clothing and hair were still intact. If not for their pale complexions, you'd think that the two were sleeping.

Well, except for the nasty arrow that pierced directly through Antonio's skull.

I restrained the tears that threatened to reek lose and focused on surveying the damage. Oddly enough, the fire seemed to have stopped right before the garden, and it made me smile a bit. Their most treasured place was untouched and still magnificent, like a sign of respect from some higher up deity. I don't know.

A few days after the burial of my dear friends, I journeyed to Farcian in hope of seeing Ludwig and Matthew. But of course I was still mourning over the loss of the Liatian prince and my charismatic Speanan gardener. When we were all reunited, I explained with reluctance what had happened. Ludwig cried—which was something he didn't do often, being the unemotional child that he was—and Matthew shook his head sadly, while Francis held his tears.

All the surrounding kingdoms, empires and dictatorships offered to assist with the re-construction of Agedytr, and within three years, life returned to what had been considered 'normal' for most. After that fire I relentlessly pursued the wretched rebels until I had found and executed them all. The whole immigrant nonsense ended as well, and the land of equality that my grandfather had dreamt of was completed. Unfortunately, after hearing of his grandson's death, King Rome passed away and Liatia became a democratic country.

On a happy note, though, Matthew and I were secretly married two years after the full restoration of Agedytr. Ludwig, who was thirteen by then, had fallen in love with a Liatian servant girl named Vene, though he'd never admit it.

One morning I was walking through the tomato garden when I spotted a beautiful, spotless white horse standing perfectly still and watching me with dark eyes. I drew nearer, mystified by its beauty, until it suddenly trotted away and disappeared behind a few trees. Naturally, I pursued the creature—after all, no mere horse could escape the awesome me!—and eventually caught up with the animal. Next to the beauty was a large tree with flower vines snaking around the trunk. But there was a clearing where the moss had not covered, and legible words could be seen from where I was standing. I walked closer, and then gasped in awe after I had read the fine print.

_TONIO + LOVI_

_FOREVER AND ALWAYS_

Without realizing that tears were spilling out of my ruby eyes, I laughed a tad. My dear buddies left many gifts for others to leave their mark even after death, from the tomato garden to the engraving on the tree. The reminders of their previous existences were everywhere, and somehow it made me feel closer to them. I noticed that the horse was watching me and I wiped the water from my eyes quickly.

"If anyone asks, I did _not_ cry," I told the beast. Of course it didn't answer back, but with the way it looked at me I could've sworn that it was intelligent.

"Hey, did you bring me here on purpose?" I asked. Again, no response. Then a random bit of information interrupted my though process.

In the continent of Uropae there were many gods, but all came from the same religion. One of them was a female goddess named Clymene. She was not popular amongst worshipers, but the divine being held great importance when it came to death; she was the goddess in charge of reincarnation and rebirth. Legends stated that she visited our realm in the form of a silver horse.

I stared wide eyed at the animal, not sure of what to do. Many knew that religion really wasn't my thing, and frankly I wasn't a very devoted person to my faith. But still… was there truly a goddess before my very eyes? I wasn't sure, but I _did_ know that I was led to the tree for a reason, so I patted the beautiful creature's head. The horse whined, but it licked my face so I guess it [or she] liked it. Slowly, I stroked the carved words etched on the wood and closed my eyes.

"If they were to be reborn again, I hope it works out, because they loved each other so so so so so so _so_ much. I know that life isn't fair and all, but it should've been for them."

How tragic, I had told myself, to end up rubbing words on a trunk and talking to a horse out of despair. However, said animal moved away and patted its hoof against the tree gently. Then it trotted into another direction, which puzzled me.

"_It shall be done_." I had heard a woman's voice say, and spun around to search for the person. But there was no one within a few meters of the tree besides that damned horse and I.

"Dear Clymene," I mumbled before running off to tell Matthew my story.

* * *

_**Yes, I totally made up the goddess Clymene of Uropae [Europa] and all. LOL but my friend and her boyfriend did the whole tree-carving thing and her mom found it and took a picture and framed it and put it in their living room for ALL to see. Don't you just love mothers? :)**_

_**But yeah, I only finished up to this part in the notebook so let me just say that I can start writing the EPIC part where they are reincarnated and meeting again but yaada yadda yadda I wouldn't want to spoil it. Let's just say that the writing quality will be better from now on =v=**_

_**Sorry for the short chapter, I just didn't think this one should have attached to the previous chapter because they are from different points of views. So anyways, next part is like the REAL beginning of the story and I just want to yell FINALLY! :D**_


	6. Dreams & Love

_**Okay, so now the story is set in another world, and ummm... ya know, they're reincarnated and all. So it's Lovino's POV for this chapter.**  
_

_**Yup. Disclaimer: I do not own hetalia [damn]. If I did then every episode would be a yaoi fest for sure~!**_

_**Warning: Lovi's language, excessive mentioning of the word 'love', sappiness and fail English.**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

* * *

_I found myself standing in a never ending expansion of darkness. The 'ground' below my feet was pitch black, along with what would be a sky and the surrounding horizon. Instead of reacting with fear and confusion—or maybe even boredom for that matter—I felt as if I was searching for something that I knew was somewhere in the dark. Of course frustration also hit me at one point; after all, I was looking for god knows what in the FUCKING dark! Whatever THAT was, I certainly had a lot of faith in finding IT. The way I was viewing things was sort of like sitting in the passenger seat of a moving machine while watching events unfold, except for the fact that I know what the body feels and that I saw everything through its eyes. Like a 'me' with a different personality, you could say._

_So this 'I' was becoming very aware of the fact that it was nearly impossible to find shit in the black hell around me, and I was beginning to lose hope. Until I spotted an unusually vivid green patch of grass under a spotlight that seemed to come out of nowhere._

_Suspicious, yes. But fuck that if I cared, because I was seriously walking towards that place to get a better look! Yeah, whoever inhabited the body while I just sat back and watched was a fucking moron._

_When I spotted the neat assortments of carnations and daisies sprouting from the greenery it had drawn me even closer to the area. By the time I was an estimated few feet away from my destination, I spotted a tall figure standing on the edge of that spot. He [I just assumed that 'cause the body type obviously suggested that this person was male] stood tall and probably had a few centimeters on me in terms of height, but something about him struck me as being… well, like I had seen or met it before._

_Eventually I reached the spot and was bathed in the light that shone on the [way too green] grass, lifting my head so I could somewhat meet with the stranger's eyes. If he had stepped just a little bit closer into my vision, maybe I would have had a better view of his facial features. But unfortunately there was no such luck, and all I got out of his physical appearance was his height and stunning eyes that seemed to outshine everything else about the man._

_They were so… green, and bright and full of life that I never knew eyes could exhibit! They were warm, gentle, loving, and when this person looked at me in such a way I felt needed and wanted. Emotions that I had never experienced flowed through my body, like his enchanting orbs encouraged a force deep within my soul to awaken once more. I felt cheesy as hell and a bit ashamed for thinking so highly of someone I couldn't __**fucking see properly**__, but all thoughts of embarrassment meant nothing when the mysterious man took my hands into his and stroked my palms with care._

_They were roughed and calloused, yet at the same time his hands managed to treat mine like they were something fragile and precious._

_Well, that was definitely new to me, being 'precious' and whatnot._

_Normally I would have pushed this stranger away, yelling profanities and even giving him a steady kick for good measure, but I felt that there was no need for that at this particular moment. Somehow, I managed to make my thoughts and the 'me' in charge of the body's thoughts work in sync, and it became clear who this person was._

_Someone I knew. Someone I had become acquainted with, long ago._

'_Someone I will always love' I found myself mouthing wordlessly. The man in the shadows squeezed my hand tighter—and I really hope the dumbfuck couldn't read lips because if he could that'd be embarrassing as hell!—and then I heard a noise disturb the silence._

_It was a laugh, but not just any laugh. It was a deep rooted, heartfelt laugh that made my core sing the fact that it __**knew**__ that laugh. It recognized and yearned for that wonderful, incredible sound that the stranger had just uttered. I wanted to see his face even more than I wanted to hear his voice, which I considered incredulous since I thought I couldn't be infatuated with anything other than that honest laugh of his. You know, because I liked it a whole lot. But I guess I was proved wrong, for the man walked closer— FINALLY getting into the fucking light!—and I was immediately stunned by his looks._

_That is, I had felt the way my __**body **__reacted when it looked upon his face, and I could feel the pleasure and pure joy that filled my heart, but I couldn't __**see**__ his face for myself. What I was experiencing was emotions that the body had, not my own. This person—or this 'me', as I seem to be calling them—felt so ecstatic, and I wanted to know why? Was he that good looking? Was he everything I'd want?_

_You see, when I said I couldn't see his face, I do mean that I literally couldn't see the guy's face; there was a black sort of haze clouding my vision. I FELT the content. I FELT the longing. But I wasn't a part of it, nor was I witnessing firsthand what I had so strongly desired to see._

_Honestly, it felt a bit unfair to me. Putting that aside, however, I was suddenly aware of the fact that the dark smudges blocking the stranger's face were slowly clearing. His eyes began to reappear in my line of vision, and I felt his warm and large hands caress my face. _

_It was so nice. _

_I was almost able to see his facial features when I heard a deafening ring that shook me out of my dazed trance and back to my current situation. Before he completely vanished into thin air I managed to scream and scream until my lungs grew tired. I never cried, not unless I was alone, yet the tears seemed to flow so effortlessly, if not remorsefully as well. I watched from my sort of audience chair in the body as the 'me' dug his nails into __**our**__ palms, making me wince from the pain._

"_Don't leave me again! Don't leave me alone, love! Haven't we been through enough?" I was shouting, though like I said earlier, I didn't exactly have control of my speech because it was kind of someone else talking. Still, each word made me feel pained and sickened by the thought of this mysterious, green-eyed stranger disappearing._

_And yet he was, right before my eyes as the obnoxious ringing coming from everywhere continued. But right before vanished I head his beautiful voice utter words with a sad tone that made me want to crawl in a hole and die from the loneliness of it all._

"_I will love you, forever and always. That's a promise."_

The annoying sound of my alarm clock woke me from my sleep, and I groaned as I turned the damn electronic device off. The fuck did I even get that shit for? … Right, work. Exhaling deeply, I forced myself out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. My hair was— as always— a mess when I got out of bed and these weird dreams weren't helping much with my fitful sleep. Sometimes I'd wake up feeling completely happy, other times I'd feel depressed and like I wanted to cry my eyes out. In all honesty I _never_ remember much from the dreams, only the feelings I'm left with and a certain pair of eyes.

Intense, amazing green eyes.

There were times when I'd find myself unknowingly searching crowds just to find a face that had those specific set of orbs, then followed by a mental facepalm from yours truly. I mean, how ridiculous is it to get worked up after a dream you can't even properly remember? It was total bullshit and I slowly felt myself travelling down the loony road towards no return, and I seriously didn't want that. Besides, it was normal to forget things that they had dreamt of, so obviously I was no different.

With that in mind, I dressed in a button up shirt, tie and dress pants, making sure I looked decent for work. Being an architect meant that I had to look sharp and sophisticated for the clients, plus the Italian in me couldn't _stand_ looking shabby in public. After drinking an espresso and munching on a couple of tomatoes I grabbed my jacket and walked out of the small apartment that I had owned. I didn't really live with anyone nor did I own any pets so everything I had in my place pretty much screamed "Single man with only two sets of every kind of tableware and silverware available in his home".

Yes, I didn't have many friends. Well, there were a few that I considered pretty close, like Matthew. He and I were roommates during our university days but present-day his occupation was an ecologist. We understood what it was like to have brothers that overshadowed everything we had done, leaving us unnoticed in the background, and I suppose our similarities led us to be the best of friends. He had an airheaded, loud and idiotic twin brother named Alfred who was an annoying fucker. Yet despite that, we still kind of hung out because he seemed to be one of the few [stupid] people that could handle my temper and _colourful _vocabulary.

Besides the North American twins there was my younger brother Feliciano, who was clingy, noisy and whined like a bitch whenever he could. Yeah, the guy was fucking annoying, and he and I were as different as night and day. But I still love my younger brother—despite how I may have acted around him—and he knew that. Everyone did. However, the retard just _had_ to pick a macho-headed German as his boyfriend. Yes, even though he knew that I _despised_ all things German. He was a little asshole, that Feli.

Despite the fact that I hated Ludwig's guts with a fiery passion I _had_ to admit that the fatso did a good job of protecting my brother, which was all that I could ever ask for. Also—UNFORTUNATELY—he made the kid happy. And who was I to deny my own sibling's happiness? So I had to let Feliciano be in peace with his kraut… though a few insults flung here in there never hurt anyone. Jerks.

I usually walked to work because my apartment was only several streetlights away from the office, and because I wasn't _that_ much of a lazy ass. Though sometimes I'd just get my nice Lithuanian neighbor to drive me there, but who said I had to be active ALL the time? Not to mention I didn't take shit from anyone either, so it wouldn't matter.

At work I had quite the reputation for being a hot tempered Italian, which wasn't _untrue_, but sometimes I wished that people would see past my slight [okay, major] flaws. I mean, I was told by my friends—and even acquaintances—that I wasn't such a bad guy once you got around my rough exterior. I was very flattered and about to thank them until Feli ruined my good mood by saying—and I quote—that "Fratello _is_ really nice, but he's also really REALLY scary and grumpy and moody and picky and blah blah blah veehh~" Seriously, I couldn't believe we shared the same _genes_, for crying out loud.

But anyways…

So there were two good things about the location of my workplace. One was that—as I stated before—it was close to where I lived, which was really convenient for me. The other was that it opened at eight forty in the morning, later than compared to all the other office building's set time in the city. I once asked one of my workmates about it, in which he replied that the guy who was in charge of the place [being the head head HEAD boss] was a Greek that liked to sleep in and insisted that people shouldn't have to wake too early. So yeah, that was really cool too.

After tidying my office desk [which was cluttered with blueprints, magazines and shit like that] I went to the downstairs café to replenish my well needed energy [because cleaning wasted a lot, dammit!]. While on the way there I spotted Carlos, my ex boyfriend from a looong time ago [two years, to be exact].

He was a handsome and well built guy with sun-kissed skin and spiked blonde hair, but that honestly didn't matter. The things that attracted me the most [while we were dating, at least] were his eyes, which were leaf green and stood out against his dark complexion. The guy was a total dick, though, and we were two weeks into our relationship when I found out that he was only using me to get to my brother. AGAIN. That happened every damn time when it came to ALL my boyfriends, which made me muse that it would be best to stay single for the rest of my fucking life.

No, I didn't blame my younger brother. Rather, I blamed myself for falling into every one of their traps like some stupid teenager. By the time I had reached the third guy that used me I stopped crying about it and starting kicking major ass. That being said, I still dated, and _still_ had the same shit happen over and over again. The thing is that I only accepted the men that had dark-ish skin and green eyes, so I kind of figured that that was my type. I never understood why, but each time I got further into the relationship I would notice what 'flaws' those eyes would have.

Like for example, I dated this guy that had beautiful green eyes that turned lighter when he stepped into to sunlight and I honestly thought I had fallen in love. With his eyes, that is. But when I inspected them closer I noticed that they lacked the cheerfulness and life that I yearned to see. And with each and every other green eyed guy I went out with, none of their orbs seemed to satisfy me enough.

I thought that I had gone crazy and I didn't know _why_ I was looking for such things in people's gazes, only that I was doing so with a fierce obsession. It kind of scared me.

Ahem, back to the café.

So I walked right past that asshole-of-a-man Carlos and ignored his heated and interested stare. I swear the guy acted like he was in fucking _heat_ or something the way he ogled my body. Fucking pervert. If we weren't in public I would have totally flipped him the bird and buy scorching coffee just to spill it on that motherfucker. But we were, so that was too bad.

Walking into the café I had spotted a good friend of mine, Elizaveta, sitting by herself near the largest window. After ordering a blueberry muffin and a latte I walked over to her table and sat across from the woman. Now, I wasn't entirely gay [probably bi] and I would have started flirting immediately with a lady as pretty as she was, but we had known each other since I was ten and she was my _babysitter_. Well, at least _that_ part of childhood had been enjoyable.

"Hello Lovino, how has your morning been?" she asked in her usual and sweet motherly voice, the one that she always used when addressing my brother and I. Yeah, she basically treated us like fucking kids.

"Same same: boring as hell," I replied in my casual voice, watching as she grinned after hearing my response. _Ugh_. Don't get me wrong, I loved the woman like an older sister, but when she makes _certain_ types of smiles, I try and leave the room as soon as possible. Because the woman is a natural born schemer, of course, and she has the weirdest pastimes.

"Oh~? So you don't have anything to do in the early afternoon?" the Hungarian asked, her [pretty] green eyes observing my stoic expression. You know, because I was badass when it came to masking my emotions.

"Well I'll have to check to see if I have any clients, but if I remember right then the answer is no."

"Ah, that's lovely news~! You see, Lovino, I have someplace I'd like to take you," she said with a secretive smile [luckily it wasn't the creepy one she made whenever she was with that Kiku guy].

"And what kind of place are taking me to? Are there large numbers of people there?" I asked, because she _knew_ how much I hated being around crowded places, though sometimes I had to remind her from time to time. She just giggled at my suspicious tone and stirred her tea with care.

"Don't worry, I'm taking you someplace that I _know_ you'll love~!" I watched the girl as she gave me a dazzling smile and took a sip of her warm beverage. Okay, so I thought that it didn't sound _too_ bad; after all, I needed to get out from time to time. And Elizaveta always managed to surprise me in a good way when it came to the outings we'd go on together, so I decided that I was fine with it.

We'd meet up with her Taiwanese friend and the friend's cousin from Hong Kong at that place, though I didn't know where it was yet. The woman sitting with me made sure that she was vague when she described what we would do. For example, she'd say how we'd just "walk around a bit" and "take in the scenery". I guess it was obvious that we were going to an outdoor or nicely decorated setting, but that could have been anywhere!

"Lovino, honey, sometimes I worry about you," the Hungarian woman mumbled in a hushed tone, and the way her eyes met mine made me feel sad [b-but just for a bit!].

"Why? I'm perfectly fine and there's nothing wrong with me," I replied, but it sounded sort of smart assed when it left my mouth so I blushed a bit. Because being a smart ass in front of a woman was NOT okay, no matter whom said female could be. But Elizaveta just continued to stare at me with a concerned expression, and then she let out a small sigh.

"Well… you know that all of our pals have found someone or something to do with their time. Feli has Ludwig, Mattie is starting to date this annoying douche that I'd rather not have him date, and even _I_ have hobbies that I'm purely devoted to." FYI said hobbies meant reading/obsessing over gay porn, which wasn't something I was quite comfortable with. Seriously, how the _fuck_ can you "purely" devote yourself to homoerotica-based entertainment? No clue here, people.

Anyways, the woman I had known for more than thirteen years of my life gently rested her hand on mine and looked upon my face with sad eyes. No, not as sad as Feliciano's puppy dog ones, but still pretty damn sad. So it made me feel a little blue too, because she was my good friend and I didn't like her worrying over me like that.

"Dear, I know that you've had hard times when it comes to finding the _one_, but I hope that one day you can open your heart again for another." Her words pissed me off for a bit, mostly because I didn't feel like opening my heart again; I was worried about it being stomped on once more due to my own stupidity. But I liked Elizaveta far too much to let her see me angry at her, and I also knew that she only spoke out of true concern, so I tried to cover my emotions with a scoff.

"I haven't had a healthy relationship in my entire existence, Liz. Yes, I _have_ gone on plenty of dates, but all of them ended up being a plot to get to… well, you know who they all _really _wanted." She nodded her head in understanding and I continued. "And it's already been two years since I last went on a date, if you've noticed, meaning I've survived 'alone' for quite some time now. What pisses me off, though, is that all of it was partially my fault; I caused my own suffering." My voice had become stiff and I wanted to hit something _so_ badly, just to relieve stress, but luckily I had Elizaveta's motherly manners for comfort.

"Oh Lovino, how could you have known that _all_ of your past boyfriends were after Feli? You couldn't have!"

"But I _did_ go out with them knowing that I have a somewhat scarred psyche due to my childhood and that I didn't know how to be with someone properly. I mean, it's sort of like I'm destined to never be good enough for everyone." And there I was again, taking a trip down the angst road. God, I hated the angst road, it made me feel like shit every time I was over with my mulling. I heard a loud gasp come from Elizaveta and saw that her eyes were wide with surprise. Then she shook her head vigorously and looked me straight in the face like a parent lecturing their child.

"You should know better, deary! Feliciano and I think you are _more_ than enough, along with Matthew and Alfred as well; we all _love_ you, Lovino."

"I-I know, and I'm actually grateful for your feelings, but the love I want is something only...," I thought for a moment, wondering how I would voice my thoughts without sounding like a complete moron. "Something only a lover can give me," I finally stated firmly, though the blaze on my cheeks made me feel weak as I watched Elizaveta nervously squeak in delight. God, that woman could be too much at times. Then again, I _had_ gone and said something stupid, hadn't I?

"LOVIINOOO THAT IS SOOO CUTE AND ROMANTIC AND GAH~~!" she giggled and squealed, proving that I had been correct: unfortunately I had gone and made a moron of myself once more. B-But I was just saying what I felt, so if people are going to be weird over my honesty then they can just suck it!

After she calmed herself down Elizaveta and I stood up and walked out of the café into the air-conditioned office building. She worked in the designer's department on a separate floor from mine so we said our goodbyes and parted ways.

While walking towards my office cubicle I thought about what the Hungarian's concerns were. Almost every time, whenever a guy screwed me over, I would just beat the crap out of him and dump his sorry as, but it still hurt. If my heart were visible there would be scratches and tear marks covering nearly every inch of the organ. The bad thing about me is that once I trust someone, I don't go back on this trust. I rely on the person and wish that they do the same with me. Because of my crappy taste in men and the fact that my luck with love eats _shit_, I often get wounded more than I liked to admit. So I stopped believing in people all together, and it seemed to work slowly but surely.

As content as I was to be free of any added weight on my shoulders or commitments to tend to for two golden years in a row, I longed for companionship. I'm a proud person, so naturally I wouldn't tell anyone that I wanted a lover. I yearned to be kissed and loved and cuddled and sweet talked for the rest of my days by my first love. No, I had never actually experienced the emotion called love, but I wanted to.

Yet at the same time I didn't.

I wanted to feel love because it proves time and time again to be life changing and miraculous and happy, which was what I wished to feel like. However, at that point in time I was already a twenty three year old man that had been in numerous failed relationships, so would love do me any good? I mean, to get love you'd have to look for it and knowing myself I'd probably be scanning the masses for green-eyed men instead of going for other varieties of people. What was it about that trait that drove me crazy and fueled my desires? Did it have anything to do with _true_ love?

… Okay to be perfectly honest I was _extremely_ romantic, but so what? Not like I'd ever admit that…

Anyways, I had decided that as much as I wanted to be happy and feel light headed and shit, life wasn't in favour of me experiencing the incredible emotion. I had my job—which wasn't a hassle to manage since architecture was my passion—and I had my friends and family. Oh, and I had major baggage, my crappy personality and no experience when it came to making others feel better about themselves.

… So maybe love would never be in my reach. Thinking about it that way made me really depressed, as if I wasn't gloomy enough.

Sighing deeply, I sat down in my office chair and logged into my computer, hoping to forget about the prospect of never having what so many people could. It wasn't fair, that's for sure, but who said life was fair?

Oh well, at least I had that outing with Elizaveta and her friends to look forward to.

* * *

_**Well then, I've been writing up more chapters for this fic [because it seems to just write itself so easily!] and I think I'll upload the next chapter real quickly. Buuut don't expect it to be done super fast 'cause I have my other story to work on too! ... And it's ridiculously descriptive and shit...**_

_**Next chapter is Antonio's POV~! YAaAAYYY~~~! xD**_


	7. Short Encounter

They say that dreams are a reflection of your true self, and they also represent your inner desires. If that were true, then I must have been craving tomatoes. Yay for tomatoes!

To appease my grumbling stomach, I stood out of bed and walked over to the kitchen to snack on the delectable red orbs. A lot of people thought I was obsessed since childhood when it came to my favourite fruit, and frankly, I couldn't blame them. Although I never placed the reason of _why_ I loved them so much, only that I did it with a passion.

My dreams weren't always about tomatoes. Recently I had been having dreams that turned into nightmares very quickly, though I don't exactly remember how. All I know is that one moment I feel like I'm on top of the world, and then suddenly I feel broken and misplaced. I really didn't like feeling that way because it made my gut hurt and then I couldn't eat. Which would be a terrible experience!

There were a few things I remembered from these 'visions', like being surrounded by tomatoes. Okay, so I _may_ have dreamt about them nearly every night, b-but there's a reason why they were always in _this_ particular dream! And that's because deep within the throngs of tomatoes and snow [I don't know why it's _always_ snowing in those dreams] is a person waiting for me. Well, I didn't really remember what this person looked like, but I _did_ know that they were shorter than me. And apparently, the stranger was breathtakingly beautiful.

_I mean, that has to be the reason! _was the sort of logic I used at the time, but who could blame me? Whenever I turned to look at their face and their _everything_ my body would go numb and I'd feel blush rise to my cheeks. I knew that I blushed even in my _sleep_ during these dreams because my best friend Gilbert told me that I was "smiling like an idiot and blushing". Err, that was embarrassing.

Anyways, even if the dreams unnerved me and left a metaphorical cloud of dread over my head after waking up, I _still_ wanted to relive it over and over again. I suppose that my wishes had something to do with that mysterious person who was always under the cover of shadows, well, not ALWAYS. There were several instances during different dreams when the stranger would reach out a hand and gently stroke my face. I had noticed that their skin was a magnetizing olive that outshone the snow with its glow.

Other times, the person would turn their head a bit and I'd catch a glimpse of gold sparkling in their eyes. I often wondered how my imagination could create such a perfect being, because I never remembered meeting anyone with such enchanting orbs on an apparently flawless face. I knew that due to the fact that I once gathered all my courage and touched their poorly-lit profile.

Immediately, the curves of a unique nose, small [and delicately smooth] lips and round, squishy cheeks met my skin. Not a single blemish or imperfection could be found. My heart beat anxiously and all I could hear was the soft pattering of snow hitting the ground and the pounding of blood in my ears. Then, at that very moment, the stranger's eyes were lit and I could see the colours that swirled in those enchanting orbs.

Green rimmed with hazel and gold flecks, along with long eyelashes that fluttered with each blink.

It was then that I became aware of the fact that I was in love.

Now, I had gone out with a few girls and guys back in my school days, but after all of them proved to be unsatisfactory, I decided to just wait for the right one.

Who apparently lived in my dreams. And that sucked.

It wasn't that I had given up on going out with other people entirely; it's just that all of my relationships were always missing something. The people I went out with were nice and cheerful so they were easy to talk to, but they all lacked depth and fire that I was looking for. I had no idea _why_ I searched for someone with a unique personality, only that the prospect of meeting a person like that made my heart pound frantically.

And finding out that I was in love with a dream wasn't exactly icing on the cake, no, it was more of an insane revelation that I liked to forget. But I was in love, and I knew it.

However, the stranger was the _only_ thing I liked about the dream; everything else made me uncomfortable. Like how the ending would always be in flames. I had assumed—at the time—that it had something to do with my irrational fear of fire. My aunt had helped me get over a little bit of the phobia after she taught me how to cook and comforted me until I could go near a stove with ease. So maybe it wasn't strange for a nightmare of mine to end in flames, I had thought. But the fire wasn't the scariest part of the vision; it was when the mysterious person disappeared.

My insides coiled at the thought of that enchanting personage disappearing, and suddenly, I didn't feel hungry anymore. After checking the time [1:43 pm] and dressing myself in some warm clothes, I opened my front door and stepped out, feeling the chilly November air.

I was supposed to go to the laboratory for work on that day [I was a herpetologist] but two of my co-workers—marine biologists Marchello Vargas and Michelle Francois—accidently messed up one of their experiments, causing smoke and stench to fill all the rooms. The head of our Environmental Research division—ecologist Matthew Williams [I think]—thought it would be best for a cleanup crew to come in and clear the areas. So I basically had the entire day off.

Gilbert was an ornithologist at my work place and he had the day off too, so we decided to pay a visit to our good friend Francis, who owned a prestigious restaurant that had recently opened. The establishment wasn't far from where I lived so I decided to walk instead of taking my car. Walking through the door I spotted my albino friend right away as he was busy grooming his pet chick, Gilbird. The adorable creature followed him everywhere and I wished that my turtles could do the same… but they can't, they're too tiny for that.

After some small talk with the Prussian [he hated anyone who called him German] and a nice glass of tomato juice on the side, Francis finally left the kitchen as he walked over to our table and took a seat. We talked for awhile until the topic of my dream came into the conversation.

"You know, mon ami, I have a friend named Hercules who's a psychiatrist and I think that he could really help you with your dream problem," he told me, and then took a bite out of his croissant. Gilbert nodded in acknowledgment of the plan, followed by him stealing a sausage from Francis' plate.

"It's not really a problem, guys, just a dream," I tried to say in a comforting tone, though the looks on their faces read doubtful.

"Anton, I see how shaken up you get after waking up, and we'd be un-awesome friends if we were to just do nothing about it!" Gilbert argued, and I couldn't help but be grateful for the caring buddies I had that would do what they did to help. On one hand, I became addicted to the stranger in my dreams. Yet on the other hand, it always ended up in flames and fear. So even if I didn't want to, I nodded my head in defeat.

"Okay, I'll think about it."

* * *

Francis suggested that all three of us visit the newly opened park near the border of the city, so after signing out of his work around four in the afternoon, we jumped into his car and drove off. I had read about the fruits that they had grown during the construction and such, and I wondered whether or not they had tomatoes. If they didn't, I planned on suggesting that they start growing the delicious fruits!

Suddenly, Gilbert's phone rang and the albino picked it up immediately after reading the caller id.

"BIRDIE~!" he shouted, making me smile a bit. Matthew [or something like that] was going out with my best friend, and because the guy didn't seem half bad, I wasn't worried in the least. Francis and I gave each other knowing looked as we watched the super happy grin that Gilbert was wearing.

"Really? We're heading out there now, coincidently enough! … Huh? Oh, that'd be awesome! Don't worry about a thing, mein vogel, I'll be there!" he sang, and then hung up.

"Guys, Mattie wants to meet at the park. That cool?" Gilbert asked, though he really didn't have to, he was just doing it to be nice.

"No need to worry, Gil, Frannie and I are fine with it!" I answered cheerfully, because I knew that my friend needed support. Despite how confident he is, the guy had a hard time expressing his feelings for the Canadian before they started going out.

"Oui, you should have fun with your petit ami, and then maybe you two can get it _on_ later, ehh~?" Francis asked with a suggestive manner, making me laugh with hysteria. When it came to getting touchy with his lover, Gilbert could be… a prude on certain occasions. He told us that kissing and a bit of biting was fine, but when the _other_ started to get panty and moaning, he just didn't know how to respond. Because apparently, it turned him on a lot. Ah, my friend could be adorable at times~!

When we drove through the gates of the park, I spotted a co-worker of mine, Mei. She was one of the zoologists at my workplace and had a heart of gold when it came to animals, so we got along well. I waved to her as she got out of her car, and after spotting me, she waved back. Next to her was an Asian boy with choppy hair that sort of covered semi-thick eyebrows, and he had a face that looked as expressionless as a stone. The person that got out of the driver's seat was Elizaveta, a childhood friend of Gilbert's, and I waved to her too.

Unfortunately she didn't notice me because she was busy talking to another person that stepped out of the car they seemed to have all arrived in together. The man was turned around, so I couldn't see his face, but he had a strange curl sticking out from his hair. It was really weird and the only other people I had met with a curl similar to that was Marchello and his cousin Feliciano [he was Gilbert's younger brother's boyfriend]. Shrugging, I turned to the other window and admired the greenery that surrounded a vast lake.

There weren't a lot of people in the area, and I supposed it was because of the fact that the park hadn't officially announced that it was open. I had visited the place while it was still under renovation so that I could assist in calculating the demographics for the amount of wildlife they would keep in the park, therefore I was very familiar with what places had the best scenery.

After parking near the lake and exiting the car, I watched as Gilbert wordlessly waved us goodbye and ran towards a red-faced Martin… no, Matthew… maybe. While Francis and I were walking around and admiring the background, a group of attractive girls passed us by. Almost immediately, I think his 'pervert' switch was flicked and the Frenchman was flirting and hooking up with them faster than I could eat lots of tomatoes. He was definitely _something_, alright.

"Ah, Antoine, is it alright if I accompany these lovely ladies through the park?" he asked while stroking the arm of one of the tallest girls. That's Francis for you. I smiled and gave him a thumbs up, after all, I suddenly felt like being alone. When his back was out of my sight, I turned around and walked towards the vegetation area to search for tomatoes.

It was late in November during that time and the newscasters said that the weather would be mildly cold, so I brought a scarf just in case. After securing the garment around my neck and fastening my gloves I continued my stroll. There was a calm and quiet air that the trees mysteriously gave, and the cool gusts of winter air really reminded me of something… something I'd experienced before. I shrugged, believing that the feeling could have been déjà vu for all I cared. But it wasn't just that.

While walking through an archway that had flowered-vines decorating it in an artistic kind of way, I spotted them. There they were, right under the canopy of a large oak.

Tomato plants.

They were in between the stage where they had just sprung from the ground and when they would be growing tomato flowers soon enough. With that in mind I was put at ease knowing that, soon enough, my favourite food would be present in the beautiful garden. I could just picture the throngs of tomatoes everywhere, and I wondered whether or not the officials would let me grab some when they grew to be edible in the future.

While deeply in thought, I hadn't noticed that the sun was nearing a sun set. That day had been cloudless while the air was cool, creating the perfect atmosphere of warmth. My favourite feeling was having cold skin heated by the sun, so I was particularly happy to be in my position. But then I noticed that the sun had disappeared behind a sudden bunch of clouds that covered what was once a blue sky.

The chill was icy by then and I shivered vigorously. It was then that I detected the lack of warmth around my neck, and I reached for my scarf, but it wasn't there.

And then something soft and wet evaporated on my skin. I looked up to the white blanket that covered the firmament and watched as small white specks began to descend from upon the upper atmosphere.

It was snowing.

Lost in the sight before me, I watched as the beautiful flakes made their way down to earth, turning to water as soon as they touched something solid. It was breathtaking. And then the sound of ruffling leaves from behind caught my attention.

"Hey, forgetful bastard, you dropped your scarf," a soft yet gruff voice said, and I sharply turned around in alarm when I caught sight of a man [judging from his voice] shadowed by the canopy of the trees. And he was holding my yellow and red scarf in his hands. He walked closer, stumbling a bit over the roots of the trees that hid beneath the grass [which was kind of cute], until he finally walked into view where there was adequate lighting.

The first thing I noticed about him was that curl. He was the one from earlier that Elizaveta had driven over to the park, so I immediately thought we could become friends [naturally, I think that of all friends of my friends due to my personality]. And then my eyes shifted to where his was, and I heard a sharp intake of breath come from myself.

Because they were exactly like the ones in my dream: in colour, in shape and even with the same long eyelashes. The man's eyebrows were furrowed a little, but that was probably because I was staring at him intently like a curious child. The truth was that that was exactly how I felt; curious.

"Um, yeah, so here's your scarf," he mumbled and handed said garment to me. I took it from his hands and secured it comfily around my neck. Ah, the sensation was wonderful~! Then I gave him a bright smile and shook his hand with the same amount of charisma that I greeted everyone with. It was warm and felt very soft.

"Thank you very much, sir, I guess I'm just clumsy~!" I said in a cheerful voice and laughed a bit; watching with wonder as his face suddenly turned a shocking crimson. _Can faces even do that?_ I wondered. His eyes widened and it looked like he was scanning my profile or something with doubt—though I couldn't imagine why—but that was fine with me since I was observing him too, but with interest. Getting a better look at the guy, I noticed that he had olive skin and wasn't very tall for a man.

He had a young sort of face and couldn't be past nineteen at the very least, but the way he was dressing said otherwise. Wearing a trench coat with a button up dress shirt underneath and ironed trousers, the stranger looked like the average working man, not to mention the fact that he had a mature sort of air to himself. Ah, but that blush was enticing to me for reasons I hadn't known. I mean, I had just met the guy, there was _no_ way I could have been attracted to him so easily.

But the snow landing on his sun-blessed skin and clashing with his red face made me feel like jelly on this inside. The guy was handsome, okay? I mean, there was nothing wrong with blushing a little, which was what I did, until I reminded myself that it was stupid to feel so charmed by someone I hadn't known for an hour.

Then again, he had the same eyes, height and skin colour as the person in my dreams, but there could have been so many other people in the world that fit that description. Yet he seemed different, and the way he looked at me made me believe that I knew his face from somewhere.

_But where?_

"Um, I'm leaving now," the man suddenly said, and turned to leave. I watched his back as it became smaller and smaller, and moments later I felt panicked. I wanted to stop the man, but at the same time I didn't. After all, what would I have said to a total stranger? True, I piped conversations with random people all the time and had no problem doing so, but he seemed different.

Like he was in a league of his own. Unique, I think, would be the right word for it.

As I watched the mysterious guy leave, I felt as if I had lost something and the feeling of emptiness made my stomach feel sore. Then again, that happened to me when I was anxious or distressed, so why would I have been in that state after watching him leave? Was it because I felt guilty for not thanking him properly? In that case, I should have just followed him and returned the favour; that would be my normal move in those sorts of situations. Yet I couldn't do it.

My body was frozen stiff and I couldn't move my feet in the least, to my great displeasure [mostly because it was starting to get freezing cold]. After a few minutes of continuously staring in the direction that the man had walked to, I finally got a grip and ran to the place where Francis' car was parked.

My mind was racing with questions, and I couldn't _believe_ that the short encounter with the stranger would leave me so intrigued and curious. Not to mention the tiny details like the fact that my heart was beating furiously, my chest felt heavy and my face was warm; the cold no longer bothered my body. He was a mystery, yet he also struck me as…

Familiar.

Ah, how contradictive of me.

And for some reason, I couldn't stop beating myself up for letting him walk away like that; I had just stood there and watched him go! The opportunity was right in my face, but I just ignored it! Sometimes I grew sick of myself. I sort of understood why, though.

Because I didn't see a good thing until it was gone.

* * *

_**A herpetologist is like someone that studies reptiles and amphibians, and an ornithologist is someone that studies birds :)**_

_**Soooo they met, but Lovino got away! ... That's pretty much it. Yeah, I feel like throwing rocks at Antonio for just standing there like an idiot, but then again, I'm the one that made him do that~! ahahahah... =_= but the reason he didn't 'fall in love at first sight' and some shit like people usually make him do in other fics is because I don't believe in love at first sight, nor do I think it's very realistic. And I WANT to make this story realistic, which was why I let Lovino get away. But don't worry, because I don't plan on leaving things like this, and neither does Antonio ^w^**_

_**Next chapter is Lovino's POV~!**_


End file.
